Here’s Why Your Great Vision Will Never Catch On

Most leaders have vision.

Most leaders have vision and this is why the rest of us look to them as leaders. Leaders have what we need. We expect our leaders to possess, or be possessed by, vision. We want them to take us there don’t we?

Leaders arrive at vision.

Leaders enter the process that will eventually produce vision through the gate of burden. Discovery happens. Leaders find themselves saying, “Someone has got to do something about that!”

That sense of burden develops into passion. Leaders realize their name is “someone”. Self discovery begins to happen. Leaders take risks. Leaders learn and adapt. Leaders devote themselves to a cause or community.

It’s at this point when leaders begin to arrive at vision. As a leader gains clarity, he or she turns that clarity into direction. Turning clarity into direction is another way of saying, “That leader has vision.”

Vision is a process.

Vision is a process and leaders arrive at vision. Here’s the problem. Leaders often engage others where they’re at instead of where others are at. Leaders say, “Here’s my vision, let’s go!” And people are like, “Wait a minute… How’d we get here?”

Here’s why your great vision will never catch on: You keep engaging others at the point of vision instead of helping them enter a process that begins with burden and arrives at vision.

As a leader you should possess vision. As a leader you must remember you arrived at vision because of a process or series of experiences. You must facilitate and lead others through their own similar and unique processes so they can also arrive at vision and share it.

In sum, as a leader you must engage people where they’re at instead of where you’re at. Help them get into a process that’ll produce vision in them. Vision is a process that begins with burden and passion. It eventually culminates in thoughtful action.